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Bridges in Virginia

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Keeping motorists safe is the main focus of our agency, and for transportation professionals everywhere.

Incidents such as the I-35 bridge collapse in Minnesota are what we work so hard to avoid through sound engineering, frequent safety inspections and vigilance.

We still do not know exactly what caused to the collapse in Minnesota.

However, this tragedy has reminded us of the need to be vigilant to keep our bridges and highways safe for the 7.7 million Virginians who depend upon our transportation system.

What We've Done

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) acted quickly after the I-35 collapse to ensure our structures remained safe.

Within 24 hours, VDOT conducted a detailed review of the commonwealth's 20,800-plus structures to determine if we had any of similar age and construction.

Twelve of our bridges were of similar design. One of those had already been replaced.

Virginia re-inspected the 11 remaining steel deck truss bridges by Oct. 1, 2007.  There were no significant safety issues. A few minor maintenance issues were detected and repaired.

The Route 3 Robert O. Norris Bridge was posted with weight restrictions and closed briefly while crews replaced two structural pins connecting bridge support members.

These pins were found to have possible defects during the detailed re-inspection. Engineers took a very conservative approach by restricting traffic until the pins could be replaced.

Two of Virginia’s deck-truss structures have since been replaced:

  • The Route 100 Bridge in the Bristol District
  • The Route 340 Bridge in the Staunton District

An additional structure, the Route 340 Bridge over Jeremy’s Run in the Staunton District, is under construction. The replacement expected to be complete in 2010.

VDOT amended the commonwealth's bridge inspection standards to address Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) technical advisories and recommendations stemming from information learned following the Minnesota bridge collapse.

VDOT's Bridge Inspection Program

Inspector checks bridge
Inspector checks bridge concrete.

We have an aggressive bridge inspection and safety program which goes beyond federal requirements.

Virginia bridges are inspected in accordance with National Bridge Inspection Standards by qualified inspectors.

We continue to inspect and track more than 20,800 bridges and structures. This includes 13,000-plus National Bridge Inventory (NBI) structures and 7,700-plus non-NBI structures in Virginia.
 
The agency inspects all of its bridges at least once every two years unless there are issues due to age, deterioration, bridge damage or other concerns.

In these cases, we conduct more frequent inspections.

VDOT conducts between 11,000 and 12,000 bridge inspections each year. 

When we find that a bridge has safety issues or structural concerns, action is immediately taken to post weight limits, detour traffic and repair these structures.

The agency has more than 100 staff dedicated to bridge inspection and consultants brought in to augment the bridge inspection program. Twelve percent of the agency's inspection work is done by consultants.

VDOT spent $13.5 million on bridge inspection services in Fiscal Year 2007 and $15.7 million is budgeted in Fiscal Year  2008.

Of Virginia's 20,842 bridges, as of July 19, 2008:

  • 1,755 are listed as structurally deficient
  • 3,133 are listed as functionally obsolete

The FHWA says the term "structurally deficient" means the bridge must be monitored, inspected and maintained. According to the FHWA Web site, the fact that a bridge is "deficient" does not imply that it is likely to collapse or that it is unsafe.

For More Information

Inspectors check underside of bridge
Inspectors check under bridge
using "snooper" truck.

Also
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Links from FHWA

Other Links

 



Page last modified: Aug. 26, 2008